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Voyagers at University

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HST274

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Just seen a new sight of a voyager stopping at university on a Cardiff to Nottingham. Does This happen often because i have never seen it before? Also second question two trains to worcester cancelled in a row so is there a problem there as well?
 
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PHILIPE

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Just seen a new sight of a voyager stopping at university on a Cardiff to Nottingham. Does This happen often because i have never seen it before? Also second question two trains to worcester cancelled in a row so is there a problem there as well?

All the XC Cardiff to Nottinghams call at University and as Voyagers have in the past, and more frequently of late, been working on the route why shouldn't they.
 

HST274

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I didn't know they were working on them more so makes sense they call more at university too. Thanks for the reply
 

D.K.TAYLOR

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I didn't know they were working on them more so makes sense they call more at university too. Thanks for the reply
it was the 15-45 Cardiff Notts saw the back end of it at Central don't know if it was 4 or 5 car but ended in 025
 

Efini92

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Just seen a new sight of a voyager stopping at university on a Cardiff to Nottingham. Does This happen often because i have never seen it before? Also second question two trains to worcester cancelled in a row so is there a problem there as well?

At present only when they are standing in for a 170 on the Cardiff services.
 

Bayum

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All the XC Cardiff to Nottinghams call at University and as Voyagers have in the past, and more frequently of late, been working on the route why shouldn't they.
I think the question was more because it’s something relatively rare. I’ve certainly not heard of a voyager working five ways/university services. I’ve heard of 170s deputising for voyagers.
 

warwickshire

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ANSWER is yes more common than you think.
Due to ongoing 170 issues. Voyager substitute has been quite reqular off late on the Cardiff to Nottingham services calling at university.
Recently its been quite reqular on the 1850 Cardiff Central to Nottingham service as far as Birmingham new Street with a 170 onwards.
Bristol and both Birmingham new Street train crewe ie train managers sign the route anyway as a diversionary and have some booked work voyager services over the route anyway especially before covid.
Also for the record as mentioned in the past Last 3 weeks off may had a voyager from Cardiff at least 4 times and twice on the 1850 from Cardiff Central to Nottingham service going to Birmingham new Street also stopping at chepstow and Worcester Parkway in the mix as well
After riding those 143 tfw Pacers for the final time in Cardiff.
 
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Just speculating here, but this could become a common occurrence in the future. when Avanti releases its Voyagers, they are most likely to move to XC and maybe the EMR 222's as well (as that would put all Bombardier High Speed DEMU's under one operator.) In return the XC 170's would probably move to join the rest of the fleet with either EMR or Northern, Which means that Voyagers would be used on Cardiff - Nottingham and New Street - Cambridge services. Of course, this all depends on the next XC franchise which is renewed in a couple of years i believe. Of course, it would help if some loco hauled trains were used.....
 

MCR247

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XC returned to their full regional timetable in May meaning their 170 fleet is much more stretched.

At the moment, almost daily a 220 (once a 5 car 221) operates:
0649 New St - Nottingham
0839 Nottingham - New St
1012 New St - Nottingham
1207 Nottingham - Cardiff
1545 Cardiff - Nottingham
1934 Nottingham - New St
 
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TT-ONR-NRN

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XC returned to their full timetable in May meaning their 170 fleet is much more stretched.

At the moment, almost daily a 220 (once a 5 car 221) operates:
0649 New St - Nottingham
0839 Nottingham - New St
1012 New St - Nottingham
1207 Nottingham - Cardiff
1545 Cardiff - Nottingham
1934 Nottingham - New St
Not for the mainline services they didn't. I certainly haven't had my three trains every two hours service back at Basingstoke yet. I don't even think Newcastle to Reading/Southampton and Manchester to Bristol services are running at all, although as a result the Manchester to Bournemouth (curtailed at Reading) and Edinburgh to Plymouth services are largely doubles because of the spares. The spares are also likely to be the reason some are working on the more local Birmingham routes usually served by Turbostars.
 

swt_passenger

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Just speculating here, but this could become a common occurrence in the future. when Avanti releases its Voyagers, they are most likely to move to XC and maybe the EMR 222's as well (as that would put all Bombardier High Speed DEMU's under one operator.) In return the XC 170's would probably move to join the rest of the fleet with either EMR or Northern, Which means that Voyagers would be used on Cardiff - Nottingham and New Street - Cambridge services. Of course, this all depends on the next XC franchise which is renewed in a couple of years i believe. Of course, it would help if some loco hauled trains were used.....
That’s not really how it works. 22x are overpowered, overweight and have too high dwell times for those routes. Occasional substitutions don’t mean they’re the right stock for that type of service.
 

ABB125

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Voyagers at university: What are they studying?
Environmental studies?
XC returned to their full regional timetable in May meaning their 170 fleet is much more stretched.

At the moment, almost daily a 220 (once a 5 car 221) operates:
0649 New St - Nottingham
0839 Nottingham - New St
1012 New St - Nottingham
1207 Nottingham - Cardiff
1545 Cardiff - Nottingham
1934 Nottingham - New St
Thanks. I saw a voyager slowing to a stop at Worcestershire Parkway a week or two ago, and was really confused. After about half a minute I suddenly remembered that one Cardiff diagram was being operated by a voyager!
 

Martin_1981

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Voyagers have been working some Birmingham to Leicester local stopping trains as well recently. I believe they can only go as far as Leicester on the Stansted route, presumably due to route knowledge.

Not for the mainline services they didn't. I certainly haven't had my three trains every two hours service back at Basingstoke yet. I don't even think Newcastle to Reading/Southampton and Manchester to Bristol services are running at all, although as a result the Manchester to Bournemouth (curtailed at Reading) and Edinburgh to Plymouth services are largely doubles because of the spares. The spares are also likely to be the reason some are working on the more local Birmingham routes usually served by Turbostars.
Some trains on the Edinburgh to Plymouth route are only going as far as Bristol TM.
 

D365

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Voyagers at university: What are they studying?
That was exactly my first thought.

Voyagers have been working some Birmingham to Leicester local stopping trains as well recently. I believe they can only go as far as Leicester on the Stansted route, presumably due to route knowledge.
Doubt that the Voyagers would be route cleared beyond Leicester as they would lose time after Peterborough if operating on a 170 timetable. Whether they fit in the Stansted bay is another matter…
 

Watershed

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Doubt that the Voyagers would be route cleared beyond Leicester as they would lose time after Peterborough if operating on a 170 timetable
Those are two separate issues - route clearance isn't given based on whether a train can meet a particular timetable. But I don't think there are any drivers and conductors who sign both Voyagers and the route all the way to Stansted Airport, so it's impossible on practical grounds.
 

D365

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Those are two separate issues - route clearance isn't given based on whether a train can meet a particular timetable. But I don't think there are any drivers and conductors who sign both Voyagers and the route all the way to Stansted Airport, so it's impossible on practical grounds.
Well yes, but I'm pointing out that they wouldn't bother route clearing an unsuitable train type.
 

py_megapixel

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Was on one of these Voyagers in a 170 path from Birmingham to Gloucester today. The dwells were longer than the 170 would have been but it didn't seem too much an issue for the timetable as - despite the calls at UNI and WOP that a Voyager wouldn't ordinarily do - we arrived Cheltenham several minutes early

Can't help but feel they must be burning a lot more fuel to travel the same distance though
 

Watershed

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Was on one of these Voyagers in a 170 path from Birmingham to Gloucester today. The dwells were longer than the 170 would have been but it didn't seem too much an issue for the timetable as - despite the calls at UNI and WOP that a Voyager wouldn't ordinarily do - we arrived Cheltenham several minutes early

Can't help but feel they must be burning a lot more fuel to travel the same distance though
Yes, ten bell despatch with slow end-doors is always going to be slower than fast doors-at-thirds, even if controlled by the guard.

That said, Voyagers easily catch up the lost time when on the move.
 
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